


just fucking relax

by trash_mammall



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Healing, Warm, idk how to tag this one, so thats what they got, they deserve a day to chill
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-30
Updated: 2018-06-30
Packaged: 2019-05-31 08:55:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15116036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trash_mammall/pseuds/trash_mammall
Summary: Markus was called upon to force Connor to relax, and so the two lads take the day off. They also take this evening to heal, and remember who their family is.





	just fucking relax

**Author's Note:**

> Saw someone talk about how there needs to be more fics centring around Markus and I couldn't agree more. Not sure abt this one, but I wanted to write something more lighthearted, so here you go.

Markus arrived at the DPD with a mission assigned to him by Hank: teach Connor how to fucking relax.

He had received a message from Hank that morning that, ever since the revolution, Connor had been increasing his workload more and more. It had been months and the android had started leaving early for the DPD and coming home late every day, knowing that if he didn’t come back at all Hank would have his head. Hank had finally had enough of it and, not knowing how to get Connor to rest himself, called upon Markus to do so.

Markus hadn’t been the best at relaxing either, seeing as he had run a revolution and was meeting with various officials incredibly often. He was determined, however, to make both himself and Connor have a day where they did zero work. Carl had taught him the importance of self care and healing, and he would damned if he let those lessons go to waste.

The front desk was worked by both androids and humans now, the growing mix of workers always sending a wave of pride through Markus. He walked up to a woman, a young human, and gave her a smile.

“Hi, I’m here to see Connor. He isn’t expecting me but his partner, Lieutenant Hank, knows I’m coming.” His voice was warm and personal, and he was bouncing slightly on the balls of his feet.

The woman smiled, looking back to the screen on her desk briefly before looking back up at him. “Go right ahead, sir, both he and Lieutenant Hank should be at their desks. Have a good day.”

Markus nodded and made his way through the terminal, eyes moving across the desks. There were no longer simply “resting stations” for the androids that continued to work at the DPD, but instead desks had been added, and there were obvious signs of renovations planned to be made. The area was crowded with desks, but most of them were vacant. It didn’t take long for Markus to spot both Hank and Connor at their desks, one far more tired looking than the other.

He wasted no time in walking up to them.

“Hank,” he nodded a greeting, “Connor.”

Hank looked up, letting out a sigh of relief. “Thank fucking god, Markus, I was beginning to think you weren’t coming.”

Markus let out a huff of amusement as Hank ran his hands down his face, and he turned to Connor. He was still looking at his terminal, engrossed in whatever files he was mulling over. It seemed as though he hadn’t noticed Markus’ arrival at all.

Markus quirked a brow as he walked around Connor’s desk, sitting on the clear area next to the screen. Connor still didn’t seem to notice anything beyond the case’s information, his LED blinking yellow, so Markus snapped his finger in front of Connor’s face.

The sharp noise broke his concentration, Connor shaking his head slightly before looking up at Markus, obviously confused.

Hank stifled a laugh.

“Markus? What’re you… doing here?” Connor looked from the highly amused Hank back to Markus, who was beginning to match Hank’s enjoyment.

Markus pushed himself off the desk, leaning down and placing a hand on Connor’s shoulder. “I’m here to steal you for the day.”

Connor looked at Hank, feigning annoyance, and deadpanned, “You told him to come here, didn’t you?”

Hank shrugged, shit-eating grin still present. “You wouldn’t listen to me when I told you to take a break, so you left me no choice. This is your fault, really.”

Removing the hand from his shoulder, Connor turned back to Markus calmly. “I appreciate your concern, Markus, but it’s fine. I’m getting paid to work, and it really isn’t all that energy-consuming. You don’t need to worry, so, if you’ll excuse me–”

Connor tried to shift his chair closer to the desk, but Markus grabbed hold of the back of his chair before it could move. His grip was firm, and reminded both Connor and Hank that, despite the gentle lilt of his voice, Markus had won a revolution for a reason.

Whether or not it had been peaceful didn’t change the fact that he was deceivingly strong.

“Connor, would you remind me how many months have passed since the end of the revolution?”

Connor crossed his arms, answering, “Seven.”

Markus nodded, “And, out of the past few months, how many weeks have you spent more than five hours on standby?”

“None.”

Markus grabbed Connor’s arm, lifting him to his feet. “Exactly! We’re taking the day off, because I also am in  _ desperate _ need of a break. You aren’t allowed to work until tomorrow, today is only relaxation, nothing else.”

Before Connor could resist, he was being dragged out of the DPD by Markus, and Hank was waving them goodbye. Eventually, he stopped trying to get out of Markus’ grip, allowing himself to be led out of the building and into the hot summer air.

After a minute of walking down the sidewalk, Markus let go of Connor’s arm. There was a pause of silence before either of them spoke up, appreciating the occasional hum of an electric car, or the call of a bird.

“So where are we going, exactly?” Connor asked, familiar with the route they were walking as his way to get back home.

“First we’re getting you a change of clothes, because it’s almost 100º and you’re in a full suit. I don’t care that we can technically control our core temperatures, it’s sweltering and we’re not going out until I’m certain you aren’t about to overheat.”

Connor nodded, brows furrowed, and he finally took a moment to take in Markus’ appearance. He was wearing white tank top, thin enough where, if you looked closely, you could see the scars where his body had been hastily repaired. He was also wearing a skirt, light enough to make sure his legs could breath. It wasn’t something Connor was entirely used to seeing, though he knew that over the years it had become more acceptable for men to wear traditionally feminine clothing.

He supposed he understood the need for lighter clothing, because even Connor could admit that it was ridiculously hot.

Connor shoved his hands into his pockets, watching the skyline as they walked. “I don’t actually, uh, have any summer clothes.” When Markus looked at him with a raised eyebrow, he quickly continued, “It’s not like I’ve really spent a summer outside of a CyberLife tower, so there’s never been a reason to.”

Markus shrugged and nodded, seeing that as a valid reason, though he still found it irresponsible. This wasn’t the first day that year that had everyone warning against going outside for too long, and even an android had to be careful.

He abruptly shifted directions, Connor quick to follow at the sudden change.

“You can borrow some of my clothes, they’re back at home. You’ll have to buy yourself better clothing, though, Connor. You can’t work properly if you aren’t dressed for the weather. Just like our circuits can freeze up, they can also overheat.” Markus’ brows were furrowed in mild concern, and Connor hummed in acknowledgement.

They arrived at the large house, the doors opening and greeting Markus home warmly. He smiled at the familiar voice, and caught Connor’s eyes shifting from painting to painting. After Carl had passed away, Markus had only sold a few of the pieces of art. He couldn’t bring himself to let go of most of them, so they remained leaning against walls throughout the building. He had come home after the revolution, and North, Simon, and Josh had joined him one by one. It had felt right, to share the large house with people he could comfortably call his family.

Leo came by every month or so, to catch up with Markus or make up for what he had done in the past. It was nice, and they both needed that closer bond after losing Carl.

Only ten minutes later, Connor and Markus were leaving the house again. Connor was clad in much more comfortable shorts and shirt, not realizing how restricting the suit had been in the summer heat, and the two were able to continue on their day.

The hours passed easily, Markus taking Connor to gardens and stores and an hour painting lesson. It was simple, and the mood wasn’t dampened when they got paint on their clothes, or dirt in their hair. It had been refreshing to laugh and see Connor relaxing. He had known who Connor had been before he had turned deviant, so this was a welcome change.

When the sun began to set, staining the sky purple and the clouds orange, a breeze cooled the hair enough to not be worrying. They found themselves sat next to the main bridge in Detroit, watching the sun fade behind the horizon. The silence between them was comfortable, a type of understanding that they both held. An understanding of what, exactly, was left unsaid, but it was strong all the same.

“How’ve you been holding up?” Connor’s voice was soft, breaking the silence gently.

Markus smiled, holding melancholy in its edges, replying, “I’ve been good. Being the leader of a revolution is hard, and I miss Carl a lot, but I’ve got my family. What about you?”

Connor shrugged in reply, not sure how to put into words how the months after the revolution had been treating him. “Hank’s been doing his best to take me in, help me with emotions and all that, but he has his own stuff to deal with. Going from the ‘deviant hunter’ to a living deviant is really…”

He faded off, shaking his head. From the times they had talked, Markus had known Connor to be fairly poor at explaining what he was feeling. Neither of them were fully in the swing of emotions, Markus sometimes found himself overwhelmed with how much there was to  _ feel, _ and he had to have someone there to help him, so that was something he could sympathize with. Carl had given him more practice on expressing his humanity, however, and he was all to aware that Connor hadn’t had that privilege. 

It was one of the reasons why he appreciated Leo so much, and why Connor surely appreciated Hank – there was a certain level of warmth that came with a human helping an android with their sudden onslaught of emotions. A certain level of trust was quickly established.

“Can I ask you why you’ve been preoccupying yourself with police work, Connor?” Markus raised an eyebrow, catching Connor’s gaze for a brief moment before Connor looked towards the sunset instead.

There was a beat of silence before Connor responded. “I’ve always had a mission to fulfill, something to work towards and accomplish. After I succeeded, I would be brought back to CyberLife until I was needed again. That was how I functioned, but now? Now there’s no mission for me to work towards, no goal for me to take steps to finish, and I just– I guess I’m trying to fill that with cases that have a definite end.”

Markus nodded silently, digesting the information for a moment before he stood up.

“I want to show you something.”

* * *

The sun was almost completely down when they arrived at the gates of the cemetery, the sounds of crickets surrounding them. A somber silence was blanketed on top of Markus and Connor as they walked down the path, past tombstones both old and new.

They only stopped when they were facing a large, sleek stone. It was dark in colour, and a couple of fresh bouquets were laid next to the base. Connor didn’t need to read the name to know whose tomb it was.

“I come here a lot when I need to figure things out,” Markus began, a sad smile pulling at his lips. “Carl had always given sage advice, and he can’t give it to me  _ now, _ but coming here still helps. For the first month or so after the revolution, I barely rested. I was repairing, working with judges, talking to officials, going door-to-door, you name it. I was doing everything I could to make things right, but eventually I was nearly dragged here and was told I wasn’t allowed to leave until I was ready. It took a couple of hours, but I left feeling much better, and far less lost.” Markus looked back at Connor, the lights around them flickering something hopeful in the reflection of his heterochromic eyes. “I know this place won’t have the same impact for you as it does for me, but that isn’t the point. Connor, I need you to find a place like this, a place that helps you clear your head, and reminds you of what you may have forgotten.”

Connor nodded, a small frown visible as he thought about a place he could equate to this grave. Markus took the silence as an adequate answer, kneeling down to say goodbye to the grave before the two androids left the graveyard.

They parted ways when they arrived at Hank’s house, Markus continuing down the road towards his own home. He heard the sound of Sumo barking when the door opened, and Markus smiled, making a mental note to discuss getting a dog with the rest of his housemates. It wasn’t like they were struggling to bring anyone in, and he thought he remembered Josh saying something about always loving animals.

When he arrived home, the door once again welcoming him in, he could hear the sounds of lively banter coming from the living room. This was obviously not the ending of his day, as surely North, Josh, and Simon were battling in one of the several games they had acquired over the months. They had used the games as ways to relax and get out pent up up anger, but had quickly turned into a way to poke fun at each other. 

It brought a smile to his face.

Carl would always be missed, but Markus had to believe that the man would be proud of him for making a family, and for taking the day off. Carl had occasionally worried that Markus was working too hard, despite the fact that he was an android made to serve. Carl had never met Connor, but he assumed the desire for him to take a break would have been equal. Markus also knew that, above all else, Carl would be proud of him for kicking everyone else’s ass, no matter the game they were playing that evening.

**Author's Note:**

> hope you enjoyed! this one's fairly different from the other fics i've written for this fandom, but I enjoyed it so there's that. hoping to write more abt Markus, bc I do agree that he needs more attention. I love Connor as much as the next dude, but why not branch out, y'know?
> 
> take a day to take care of yourself ! stay safe ! thank you for reading !
> 
> (find me on tumblr: trash-mammall)


End file.
